Little India eateries reeling from Delhi's wheat export ban

Restaurants and retailers in Little India are feeling the pinch caused by a supply crunch in the wake of India's ban on wheat exports.

Eateries reliant on wheat flour from India for popular items like chapati flatbreads are either raising prices or dropping wheat flour-based dishes from the menu. Azmi Restaurant - famed for its chapati and minced lamb keema curry combo - has increased the price of its chapatis by 20 cents, to $1.20.

But that barely covers the increase in the cost of wheat flour in recent months, said Azmi owner Abuzer Alam, 44. A 20kg bag of flour that used to cost $25 now goes for about $60, he added.

He said: "The ban has greatly affected our business, but we cannot do anything about it since we totally depend on wheat."

India, the world's second-biggest producer of wheat, stopped exporting wheat grain and flour in May to cool skyrocketing prices after a heatwave led to a decrease in the country's harvest. The ban came amid a curtailment in Ukraine's wheat exports due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. Ukraine was the fourth-largest supplier of wheat to the world, accounting for about 9 per cent of the global trade.

Singapore imports between 200,000 tonnes and 250,000 tonnes of wheat yearly, and between 100,000 tonnes and 120,000 tonnes of wheat flour, according to United Nations data.

In 2020, 5.8 per cent of Singapore's total wheat flour imports came from India, a Business Times report said, with the bulk of the country's wheat flour imports coming from Australia, the United States and Canada.

With wheat flour from India getting harder to come by, some restaurants which say the texture of chapati is affected by the type of wheat used have been left with no choice.

On Tuesday, Riverwalk Tandoor owner Sharonjeet Kaur, 41, said the restaurant in Rangoon Road will drop wheat-based dishes from its menu because its supplier has no stock. In nearby Race Course Road, Gayatri Restaurant, which specialises in North and South Indian cuisine, has removed from its menu dishes like chapati, tandoori roti and poori bhaji.

Gayatri owner S. Mahenthiran, 44, said he is unable to get any wheat flour from India from suppliers, and he is reluctant to use supplies from another country.

He said: "Flour plays a crucial role in the quality of dough. People who eat chapati every day will be able to tell the difference if we change the brand of flour."

Down the road at Sakunthala's Restaurant, chapatis and other wheat dishes are still on the menu - but not for long. Its stockpile of flour bought before the ban is expected to run out this week.

Sakunthala's owner Mathavan Adi Balakrishnan, 52, said he is mulling over importing wheat from Dubai, but it will cost triple the normal price. He said: "The flour shortage will affect our business very badly. We cannot pass all the cost to our customers - we have to try and keep prices low."

Like him, Jaggi's Northern Indian Cuisine owner Gurcharan Singh, 63, said he is not keen to raise prices, even though he is paying twice as much for wheat flour.

Mr Singh, who is also president of the Indian Restaurant Association, said: "The cost has gone up but we cannot anyhow pass the increase to our customers."

Retailers in Little India said customers can expect to pay double or more for wheat flour. Praba Store, which sells provisions in Norris Road, is now selling a half-kilo bag of wheat flour for $4.50, up from $2.50 before the ban in India.

The owner of the store, who declined to give his name, said the cost of wheat flour has nearly doubled.

Over at retail giant Mustafa Centre in Serangoon Road, its purchasing director Mohd Saleem, 44, said shoppers can expect to pay more for wheat flour, but he did not say what the price increase will be. A purchase quota has been put in place. He added that the megastore is looking at the possibility of importing wheat flour from the Middle East and Britain as part of efforts to shore up supply.